Shelter and Protect
by Eminnis
Summary: "Should anything happen to Will and I, it'll be yours and Garcia's job to get this boy to Yale" The unthinkable happens.One of the team is murdered; leaving behind her son. What will become of him? Custody fights, grief, and healing commence.
1. Discovery

**I was watching Memoriam when this idea came to me. At the end when JJ tells Reid he's the godfather and that if anything happened to her and Will it was up to him and Garcia to make sure Henry got to Yale, I was just thinking what if this actually happened? How would they deal with it? So thus the story was born! I'm not sure if JJ married Will or not, but in this she has, and they live together. ****And just to let you all know, I do not want JJ dead. That is just how the story line went.** Post Memoriam (obviously). Let me know how you all like it!

**WARNING!!!! THERE IS SADNESS AND CHARACTER DEATH AHEAD!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds. All characters you recognize don't belong to me.**

**Chapter One: Discovery **

Spencer Reid sighed as he finished with the first folder of paperwork and set it aside. _Only ten more to go_ he thought wearily. He was only one folder through and already he was exhausted. Today was going to be a long day.

"Reid!" Garcia called as she walked out of her office.

"What?" Reid asked.

"Have you seen JJ? She hasn't showed up yet. It's almost noon. We arranged to go to lunch today. Any clues?"

Reid sighed and sat back in his chair, rubbing his eyes gently.

"I don't know, Garcia." He finally said.

Garcia hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Well…could you maybe check on her? I mean it's just…she's been under a lot of stress lately…and if you say anything to her about that I will kill you gleefully. Just…please, Reid?"

Reid sighed. "I will during my lunch hour. I'll be off in about 20 minutes. Alright?"

Garcia smiled at him. "Thank you, kind sir."

Reid grinned. "You're welcome, fair lady." Garcia laughed lightly and returned to her office and Reid returned to his paperwork.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Reid got up and headed out to his car. He drove to a fast food place and got a burger before heading out to JJ's house. When he arrived he got out and went up to the door. He rang the door bell.

No answer.

He rang it again and again.

"JJ?" Reid called, knocking on the door loudly. "JJ!"

Reid turned the doorknob and to his surprise, the door swung open. Reid was greeted by the smell of blood.

Reid swore and grabbed his gun from its holster. Keeping it ready, he slowly entered the house.

"JJ?" he called out. "Will?"

Gun still out; Reid made his way down the hall and toward Will and JJ's room. He'd been in the house several times to babysit Henry and knew exactly where he was going.

The room's door was ajar and Reid slowly opened it. The moment he saw what was in the room, he turned and retched.

Blood splattered the walls and floor. Will's body was sprawled out on the floor, bloody and almost unrecognizable. It seemed that he had been beaten to death. JJ was nowhere to be found.

Reid carefully moved around Will's body and followed a blood trail into the bathroom next to the bedroom. And that's where he found Jennifer Jareau's cold, lifeless body. She wasn't beaten; there wasn't a mark on her. The blood that had led to the bathroom must have been Will's. She was laid in the bathtub, eyes closed and hands folded over her chest. Reid retched again and gave a small sob.

"JJ…" he breathed. A loud cry broke through the silence and Reid whirled. He knew that sound.

Henry…could he possibly still be alive? His parents had been murdered, but had little Henry managed to escape the tragedy? Reid walked quickly out of the bathroom, out of the bedroom, and down the hall to Henry's room.

The child was standing up in his crib, his hands clutching the bars. He gave another loud cry when Reid entered.

"Momma!" Henry wailed.

Reid quickly left the room and did a check of the house. Whoever had done this was gone, and all was clear. Reid put his gun away and returned to Henry.

"Hey, buddy." Reid said softly to the crying youngster. Reid choked back a sob and picked up the 18-month-old. Henry clung to Reid and buried his face in Reid's shoulder. Reid rubbed his back gently.

"What happened to your momma and daddy?" Reid asked, sniffing. He quickly pulled out his cell phone and dialed Hotch.

"Hotchner." Hotch greeted.

"Hey, Hotch. You need to come down here. I'm at JJ's…bring the team." Reid's voice was trembling, and tears were starting to fall down his face. Henry, noticing Reid's distress, starting to cry too.

"Reid, what's wrong? Is that a baby?" Hotch fired off.

"Yeah, it's Henry. Hotch…just get here quickly." Reid hung up the phone and then dialed 911. An ambulance was sent on its way and Reid carried Henry into the living room. He sat on the sofa with Henry curled up on his chest, whimpering quietly.

"Shhh, Henry." Reid soothed the young boy. "It'll be alright. Shhh."

Just then sirens were heard and several paramedics burst into the room.

"Sir, are you and the boy alright? Who are you?" one of them asked.

"I'm SSA Dr. Reid. I work with the Behavioral Analysis Unit in the FBI. The boy is Henry LaMontagne. He's okay. Not hurt, just shocked. His…his parents are in their bedroom. They were good friends of mine. His mother, Jennifer Jareau, was a colleague of mine. I'm Henry's godfather." Reid explained quickly. The paramedic nodded and they darted away to the bedroom. Reid held Henry close to him while the little boy cried.

"I want mamma!" Henry wailed. Reid's heart nearly broke at the desperate plea. Tears gathered in Reid's eyes and swallowed a sob.

"Momma can't come right now. It's okay, Henry. Are you hungry?" Reid tried to calm the child down. Henry nodded and sniffed, but stopped crying.

"Alright, let's go find something to eat."

Reid walked into the kitchen and set Henry down in the highchair. He went into the pantry and quickly found a tub of applesauce. He grabbed one of Henry's spoons and a bowl.

"Here you go. This is the best I can do for now, bud." Reid set the applesauce down in front of Henry and Henry quickly picked up the spoon.

He filled it with applesauce and ate it quickly. Reid laughed a bit when some of the sauce was flicked into his face. Henry was still a bit clumsy with the utensil.

After Henry had finished, Reid found a napkin and cleaned him up. He then took Henry back to the living room and sat down with him.

Reid looked up when someone banged through the front door. It was Hotch. The team wasn't far behind. Hotch saw Reid and went to him quickly.

"Reid, what's going on?" Hotch demanded. The team crowded Reid and Reid held up his hand as a request that they wait a second. The group fell silent and Reid rocked Henry gently. The young boy was almost asleep, his eyes fluttering shut every five seconds.

"Keep it down. Henry's had an exhausting morning. Come outside with me. No need to talk here." Reid said quietly.

He got up and left the house, going into the back yard. The rest of the team followed quickly.

"What's wrong, Reid?" Garcia demanded. "Are JJ and Will alright?"

Reid swallowed and faced his team members. "Garcia…JJ and Will are dead."

The effect of Reid's words was instant. Garcia was silent for a split second, then burst into tears with a wail. Prentiss started to sob loudly as well. Morgan stumbled back and sank into a lawn chair. Hotch gripped the post of the porch for support. Rossi leaned against the wall, disbelief on his face.

"What happened?" Rossi asked in a shocked voice. Reid sniffed.

"I'm not sure. They were murdered. It looked like Will had been beaten to death…he was sprawled out on the floor. You could hardly recognize him. JJ was in their bathroom, in the bathtub. She was dead. She was fully clothed. Someone moved her there. Henry somehow made it out alive." Reid clutched Henry closer to him as he said the last bit.

Yes. Somehow Henry had been lucky enough to make it. He was unscathed, and he seemed to be alright. Henry stirred in Reid's arms, and he gave a small cry as he woke up. Reid shushed him quietly and the others looked up. Garcia walked over to Reid and watched Henry as he woke.

"Give him to me?" Garcia requested.

Reid nodded and tried to hand Henry off to her, but the moment Garcia had him in her arms, he started screaming bloody murder. Garcia tried desperately to shush him, but he only cried louder.

"Weed!!" Henry sobbed. He couldn't pronounce his r's yet. Garcia looked startled, but gave Henry to Reid. In a few moments, Henry quieted.

The team stared at Reid expectantly.

"I have no idea why he acted like that. It's never happened before…" Reid trailed off.

"Here, let me try." Prentiss requested, wiping her eyes. She took Henry into her arms and Henry immediately broke into loud cries again. Prentiss returned Henry to Reid and Henry quieted.

"Well…I guess he's not willing to let go, Reid." Morgan stated, his voice strained.

"Yeah…" Reid murmured, rubbing the young boy's back.

Just then a paramedic approached them. "We have found that both parents are dead-" he started but was interrupted by Morgan.

"Oh, really? No dip!" Morgan snapped.

"Quiet." Hotch ordered. "What were you saying sir?"

The paramedic cleared his throat nervously. "Um…both parents are dead. We need to have a look at the boy to make sure he didn't suffer any damage. Sir?" he indicated to Reid and Reid reluctantly handed Henry to him. In all honesty, he didn't want to let the little boy go anymore than Henry wanted to be let go.

Handing Henry to a stranger was too much for the kid. He had already made it very clear he wanted to stay in Reid's arms, not anyone of the team's. And certainly not a complete stranger! Henry opened his mouth and had a fit. He screamed and sobbed and struggled in the medic's hold.

"Weed! Weed! Weed!" Henry sobbed. Reid's heart broke. He wanted to soothe the young boy, he desperately did.

"I want Weed!" Henry yelled.

The paramedic looked startled.

"Who here is…'Weed'?" he asked nervously.

Reid raised his hand. "It's actually Reid…"

"Ah," the medic continued. "Maybe you should hold him while we examine him."

Reid nodded and the paramedic returned Henry to his arms. Henry quieted, clutching tightly to Reid's shirt. Reid followed the paramedic out to the ambulance.

They did a quick check of Henry's vitals checked for any damage. They gave him a clean bill of health right there, declaring there was no need for him to go to the hospital. The paramedics left and the team was left alone. The cops hadn't been called, seeing as though an FBI agent had found them and Hotch was on the phone right now talking to Strauss.

"I am aware that there are other cases, ma'am." Hotch was saying. "But Agent Jareau and her husband were murdered. This could be the beginning of a killing spree. We're already on site…yes, I know that we need someone else working. I suggest calling in Agent Todd. At least until we can find someone else…thank you, ma'am. We'll try to make the case a quick one."

Hotch shut his phone and turned back to his team. "We're cleared. Morgan…you and Prentiss start investigating the room. See if there was anything left by the UnSub. Garcia, look through the records, see if JJ and her husband left a will of some sort. Rossi, you stay with Reid. Find out all you can about what happened. We have to try to treat this as a normal case. I know how hard it will be, but at least at first, we have to try. Reid, just watch Henry. I need to make some phone calls, tell other places their cases have been delayed."

The others nodded.

"Alright then," Hotch stated. "Let's move."

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**Okay, I wanted to cry when Henry was crying out for his mom. Hope you all liked this!**

**Eminnis and Alicia Please review!**


	2. Investigation

**Well I hope you enjoy chapter two! SCHOOL'S OUT! I'll have time to write! So please, please review! Thank you to all my reviewers!**

* * *

**Chapter Two: Investigation**

"So," Rossi began as the others filed out. "What happened? Exactly?"

Reid sighed and adjusted Henry, who was fast asleep in his arms. "I went for my lunch break and drove over here. Garcia wanted me to check on them. Said that JJ had been under a lot of stress lately. When I came, I rang the doorbell several times. No one answered. I knocked on the door and called out, but no one answered that either. I turned the doorknob and the house was unlocked. I smelled blood and drew my gun. I went into JJ and Will's bedroom and found them. You…Rossi, you could barely tell it was Will. He was just so…beat up." Reid sniffed and held Henry a bit closer.

"I followed a blood trail into the bathroom. That's where I found JJ. I was in a daze. It would've taken me a few minutes to call the ambulance and team, but then I heard Henry cry. I went to his room and found him standing up clutching the bars of his crib. He cried 'momma'." Reid sniffed again and swallowed back a sob.

"It's okay, Reid." Rossi comforted. "You can stop. We know what happened from there."

Reid nodded and closed his eyes. JJ had been one of his best friends. What was he to do now? And poor Henry…who was he going to go to?

"What are we gonna do with Henry?" Reid asked quietly a few minutes later. Rossi looked up, startled. He thought. He didn't know what to do with the boy.

"I suppose we'll just have to wait to see if Garcia finds a will. If there isn't one telling where he's to go…then I guess he'll go to the next of kin."

Reid nodded. "Who's going to alert the family?"

"I think Hotch is doing that now."

**~Shelter and Protect~**

Hotch was on the phone with JJ's mother.

"Mrs. Jareau, I understand you're upset." Hotch said patiently. "But you can't blame us for your daughter's death."

"It's your fault! If you all didn't exist…she wouldn't have ever been there!" Mrs. Jareau exclaimed hysterically.

"Mrs. Jareau. This team was formed to help catch people like the one who did this to your daughter."

"And she ended up joining it!" Mrs. Jareau screamed shrilly. "If you'd just kept your ideas to yourselves…she might still be alive today! She made enemies working for you!"

Hotch sighed. He was losing all patience.

"Mrs. Jareau," he snapped finally, interrupting the woman's rant. "I am sorry about your daughter's death. Jennifer was a good friend to all on the team. She cared about this team and this team cared about her. She appointed two of my team members godparents of her child. Now. If you'll excuse me, I have other phone calls to make. We are going to find out who did this. Feel free to come down and make arrangements needed for your daughter's funeral. Goodbye."

Hotch hung up and heaved a sigh. He hated dealing with family members. Well, hopefully Mrs. Jareau would take care of contacting everyone else. Hotch glanced down at his list. He had two towns to call. He needed to inform them all cases were put on hold. The first was the town of Topeka, Kansas. There had been several murders there. He dialed the number and sat leaned against his car as the phone rang.

"Sheriff's Girder." A voice greeted.

"Hello, this is Agent Aaron Hotchner form the BAU. We had plans to work your case but we are unable to." Hotch stated.

There was silence for a moment. Then: "What? I have six dead bodies and more are pouring in! What am I supposed to do?"

Hotch closed his eyes. He knew he'd get this sort of reaction.

"I'm sorry but one of our team members was murdered. The case has taken top priority." Hotch explained.

"Only one of your team! One! And it's top priority? I've got six people dead!"

"I understand that Sheriff Girder but until we find out who did this to our member, we are not going to be of much use anyway. We will get back to you as soon as we can." Hotch hung up with a sigh. He waited a moment before picking up the phone and dialing the next number.

**~Shelter and Protect~**

Prentiss sighed as she entered the JJ's room. She felt uneasy being in here, where death had occurred such a short time ago. True, she had been in several places where death was recent, but it had never been one of a friend. That's what made all the difference.

"No luck." Morgan stated. "No message, no trail, nothing. I've checked all through the bathroom. You finished with the bedroom?"

Prentiss sighed nervously. "Actually, to tell you the truth I…I haven't even gotten started. It's all so…shocking. I mean…JJ…" Prentiss trailed off and Morgan nodded understandingly.

"I know, Prentiss. But we've gotta figure out who it is." Prentiss nodded in response. Morgan clapped a hand on Prentiss's shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze. Prentiss smiled gratefully up at him and Morgan returned the smile.

Morgan left to search the rest of the house and Prentiss concentrated on the room. She walked over to the nightstands, carefully lifting things and checking under them. She lifted up JJ's pillow and a slip of white paper caught her eye. She picked it up carefully and read it quickly.

_Agent Jareau, _

_Hope whoever replaces you thinks twice next time one of the cases is 'too unimportant'. I wonder how your child will feel, lonely, terrified. No parents to turn to. That's how my baby felt. Payback is sweet._

There was no signature. Prentiss quickly secured the note in an evidence bag.

"Morgan!" she yelled. Morgan entered quickly.

"I found a note." Prentiss explained, handing the bag to Morgan. He read through the note quickly.

"We need to get this to the rest of the team." He stated grimly.

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**Ooo! Shocker huh? Hope you liked, please review!**

**Eminnis and Alicia**


	3. Starting The Profile And JJ's Will

**Yes, I know it's a day late. Sue me. LOL. Just kidding. Hope you all like the chapter!**

**Chapter Three: Starting the Profile and JJ's Will**

Reid looked up as Hotch entered the room.

"The calls are made. Neither department is too happy, but they'll have to live with it."

Reid was about to reply back when Prentiss and Morgan returned from their assignment.

"You all need to see this." Morgan said, handing over the evidence bag.

Hotch quickly read it aloud and he and the others were shocked at what was revealed.

"So…this murder was intentional? I mean, I know they're all intentional but…? What was it, some sicko's version of revenge?" Prentiss questioned after they had all digested this bit of news.

"It seems that way." Rossi agreed.

"Alright then. Let's get started on a profile." Morgan said conclusively.

Hotch nodded in agreement.

"Let me see the letter," Reid requested, shifting a sleeping Henry so that he could grab the letter when Hotch handed it to him.

After a few moments of studying it, Reid looked up to his team members' expectant faces.

"The UnSubs are most likely a male and female." Reid began.

"Wait, UnSub_s_?" Rossi asked.

"Yes. At times it seems to seem more like a man's words, yet the handwriting is that of a woman's. Not to mention this line; 'That's how my baby felt.' You would commonly see that sort of language with women, specifically mothers or those that have a motherly instinct. But then right after that; 'Payback is sweet.' That there sounds more like a man. It sounds harsher than other parts of the letter." Reid explained. The team nodded.

Reid was about to continue when his phone rang loudly. Henry woke up with a cry and Reid quickly grabbed his phone.

"Reid." He greeted.

"Hey, Reid." Garcia sounded sullen and Reid looked sympathetically at no one in particular.

"Garcia. What do you need?"

"Well, I found her will. You might wanna put it on speakerphone, and I'll read it to you."

"Garcia, isn't it the right of the family to read the will first?" Hotch interrupted as Reid put the phone on speaker.

"Yes, but trust me, we won't be breaking any laws here. We're all mentioned. I think it's legal…but just in case don't mention anything to the family." Garcia said quickly. Morgan shook his head. That was his girl…

"Okay, I could read the entire thing, which would be in all honesty boring, or I could just tell you how we are involved. I vote for the latter." Garcia took a breath and began.

"Hotch, she has willed all of her various kitchen appliances to you. It says in here she always knew how you liked to cook stuff, despite the fact you hide it, and so she wants you to have them." Hotch smiled at this. She was a better profiler than they thought. Garcia started speaking again.

"Rossi, she wills all of her historical books to you. Anything to do with history. She knows you love that sort of thing." Rossi smiled, touched. He hadn't been part of the team nearly as long as the others and it was nice to hear she had thought of him when writing her will.

"Morgan, she wills all of her exercise equipment to you. She says to enjoy and to lay off of Reid." Garcia laughed a bit at the end, and Morgan laughed out right.

"Prentiss, she wills all her necklaces you admired to you. And she wills all her funky jewelry to me." Prentiss grinned at this. JJ must have seen her admiring her many necklaces.

"That leaves you, Reid. And you will be shocked. Are you sitting down?" Garcia inquired.

"Yes…" Reid replied warily.

"Alright. It says:_ Dear Spence, yeah, I still call you Spence after all this time. I am so sorry to leave you in this mess. I've always loved you like you were my little brother. The excellent genius little brother I never had. I love you so much. Don't get me wrong, I love all the team. They're my family too. But you're special. _

"_I don't know what it is about you Spencer. You've always held a special place in my heart. And to you others on the team, I know you'll read this as well, please don't be offended._

"_Spencer, you are a kind, loving, caring person. You have so much to give, and I hope you know we don't take you for granted. You're just a good guy all-around._

"_That's why Will and I have chosen you to take care of Henry. I will you the most precious thing I could think of. My son. Take care of him; I want him to go to you. I know you'll love him like he is your blood son. Trust me on this; I know what I'm doing. My mother could do this, yes, but she wouldn't be able to give him what you can. She's had her turn. Know that you can refuse, Spencer, though I hope you don't._

"_Please, Spencer. Please do this for me._

"_Love,_

"_JJ_"

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**Sad ending! Hope you all liked! Please review!**

**Eminnis and Alicia**


	4. Suspect Number One

**Well, here's the next chapter! I hope you all enjoy it! I think I may have gotten a few times mixed up in this chapter, please let me know if I did and I'll go back and change it. Thanks to all my reviewers!**

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**Chapter Four: Suspect Number One **

The entire team sat (or stood) in stunned silence. Henry would go to…Reid? Reid himself was shocked. He looked down at the young boy in his arms.

_I'm supposed to be a father?_ His _father? I can't do this! I can't! What if it gets to be too much? What if I walk out like my own dad did?_

Reid was torn away from his thoughts as Henry started to cry.

"Shhh." Reid comforted, rocking the boy gently. The rest of the team 'woke up' as well at Henry's loud wails.

"He probably needs a diaper change." Prentiss concluded after watching the child for a moment. Reid nodded and gave Henry to her. He started screaming loudly and Prentiss made to hand Henry back to Reid but Reid stopped her.

"He has to get used to other people holding him right now. Plus I need a few minutes. Could you please Prentiss?" Reid requested, a note of desperation in his voice.

Prentiss nodded and took the crying child from Reid. She disappeared into Henry's room and Reid fell back against the sofa with a sigh. He flung his hand over his eyes and groaned.

"Guys, what am I supposed to do?" Reid asked his team mates desperately.

The others were silent for a moment, and then Morgan said:

"I don't think there's anything _we_ can do to help, it's up to you." he stated.

"You have to take him, Reid!" Garcia pleaded. "JJ wanted this!"

"Baby girl, I want Henry to go to a good home just as much as you do, but you can't guilt Reid into this!" Morgan stated sternly.

"But…but…" Garcia broke into sobs and Morgan bit his lip.

"Shhh, baby, shhh." Morgan shushed gently.

Reid heaved a sigh and put his head in his hands. "What am I supposed to do?" he mumbled rhetorically.

Hotch was silent for a while and then suggested, "We should hunt down the UnSub. It'll help us all take our minds off things. At least for a while. Let's go over the cases JJ got. All of them. Look specifically for cases involving children Garcia."

"On it." Garcia replied.

Five minutes later, Garcia had narrowed a list of hundreds down to twenty.

"These are all the cases that involved parents with children." Garcia stated. Hotch nodded.

"Narrow it down further to the ones that had children left behind. Both parents would have been murdered."

"Down to seven."

"Which ones have children under the age of ten? From the letter it seems the child would be fairly young. I could be wrong, but this seems likely." Reid cut in. Garcia nodded, forgetting the team couldn't see her, and started searching again.

"Five."

"Give us the details." Rossi ordered.

"Alright. Family one had a little girl, age three. The father was bludgeoned to death and the mother was poisoned. Family two had a little girl 18 months old. Father beaten to death, mother poisoned. Family three had a young son, three years old, father, again, beaten to death and mother poisoned. Family four had a son at the age of six, parents were both shot. Family five had a little girl, 18 months, both parents poisoned."

"Cut out families four and five. They don't have the same scenario that happened. That leaves us three to go on." Morgan murmured.

Reid thought for a moment, running over the information they already had. The UnSubs were one male and one female. Most likely in their forties. They had adopted a child. Reid's thoughts then turned to how JJ had been placed.

"Garcia!" he exclaimed, sure this was the right path. "Check the incidents in the case. Were any of the mothers laid in a bathtub?"

"You think this might be a repeat?" Hotch asked.

"Whoever did this was determined to have Henry go through the exact same thing. It would make sense to do the exact same thing that was done to their child's parents that they took in." Reid explained.

"Found it. Just one of them. Family two. But that happened nearly two years ago. Why wait so long?"

"The Unsubs were very OCD with this. Back at that time, JJ hadn't had Henry yet, but she had been pregnant. They had to wait until Henry was the same age as the girl."

"What sickos."

"Yes," Hotch agreed. "Names, Garcia, we need names."

"Um…John and Lilly Harman. They're the aunt and uncle of the girl, Melinda. They live on 246 Whales Street."

"That's only fifteen miles away from here." Prentiss commented, coming back in the room. She looked pretty worn out.

"What took so long?" Reid asked, taking Henry from her arms. Prentiss smiled a bit.

"Henry had a bit too much fun throwing the baby powder at me. I made the mistake of setting it next to him."

Reid laughed. "He tends to do that. Watch out next time."

Prentiss wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "Oh no," she corrected. "You are taking care of your godson from now on. I'm not changing his diaper anymore! I'll do just about anything but that!"

Reid laughed and nodded. The incident also got a few laughs from the team. Hotch shook his head at the whole scene.

"We should head out to the Harmans'. They will be leaving soon. We need to get to them." Morgan said firmly as the team quieted down.

"What should we do with Henry?" Reid asked, leaning away as Henry tried to play with Reid's hair.

"Take him with us?" Morgan suggested.

"Morgan! You don't take a_ baby_ out to a place where the people who _**murdered his parents**_ are! They could have guns! Henry could get hurt!" Prentiss snapped immediately.

She glared at Morgan irritably. Morgan looked over to Reid for back up, only to be met with a similar outraged glare. In fact, the only one who didn't look like that was Rossi. He was smiling slightly at Morgan's predicament.

"Okay, okay! Sorry!" Morgan hastily apologized.

"Do you know what JJ would say if she heard that? If she heard you planning to put her baby in danger?" Prentiss demanded. Reid subconsciously held Henry a bit tighter.

"She would say, 'Morgan you idiot!'." Garcia answered over the phone. She was also irritated.

"Alright!" Morgan snapped. "What do you want to do with him then? We've gotta get moving guys."

The team went quiet, pondering their problem.

"I could stay behind I guess…" Reid suggested after a few minutes.

"No, Reid, we need everyone there." Hotch rejected. Reid nodded.

"Give me five minutes and I can be there. I'll take care of him for a while." Garcia offered.

"Alright," Reid agreed. They hung up and minutes later Garcia had pulled up outside of the house.

"Auntie Garcia is here!" Garcia exclaimed as she came in.

Garcia quickly took Henry, who was now sleeping, from Reid's arms and settled down on the sofa. She waved goodbye to the others and gazed down at little Henry. She felt so bad for the boy. He wasn't even a toddler yet and he'd lost his parents. Garcia desperately hoped Reid would agree to take care of Henry. At Henry's small yawn Garcia couldn't help but think he agreed.

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**Okay, so about Morgan. He might have been a bit out of character in his question but I needed to show how protective the team-specifically Reid-really is of Henry. Again, I don't think Morgan would've actually suggested something like that. Please review!**

**Eminnis and Alicia**


	5. Caught And Guessing Games

**So here's the next bit! Thanks to all my reviewers and hope you enjoy!**

**UPDATE AUTHOR'S NOTE:::: I am sorry but I'm not going to be able to write for a while. I think I sprained my knuckle in my hand, and it really hurts (It hurts like heck to type) so updates may be delayed by a week or so. Really sorry.**

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**Chapter Five: Caught and Guessing Games**

Reid held his gun firmly as they approached the quiet house. Well, nearly quiet. There was the sound of a child crying. Morgan approached the door and knocked loudly.

"Mr. and Mrs. Harman, we know you are in there. Come out now. FBI." Morgan called loudly when there was no answer. He knocked again. Still nothing. Morgan glanced over at Hotch and Hotch nodded.

Taking a few steps back, Morgan darted forward and kicked the door down. The child's cries got louder and curses sounded from within the house. The team rushed in and ran toward the cries and curses.

Hotch made it in first and he yelled, "Put the weapons down. We know you did it."

A man with dark hair and a grimace on his face replied with, "What are you gonna do about it? Yes, I'm admitting! She got what she deserved!"

"What about the child. He got what he deserved too?" Prentiss demanded, coming up behind Hotch, gun out and pointed toward the man. Before John could answer, Lilly Harman entered the room as well. She too had a gun in her grasp and replied to Prentiss's question in a cold voice.

"As sorry as it is that the child has to go through this that was the whole point."

"You're all cold and heartless, you know that?" an icy voice snapped. The team was shocked and they all turned to see their youngest member with a stony look on his face. They had never heard Reid speak so harshly before.

John Harman whirled and shouted, "Don't speak to my wife like that!"

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. John raised the gun level to Reid's chest and pulled the trigger. At the same time Morgan—having seen what Harman was about to do—threw himself forward and knocked John down. Lilly screamed and shot toward Prentiss. Prentiss ducked and Hotch fired off a shot toward Lilly. He hit her and she fell to the ground. The little girl cried.

Morgan and Hotch quickly cuffed the Harmans. Prentiss went to the girl and cooed to her gently. Rossi ran to check on Reid.

Reid was grimacing and holding his arm to his side gently.

"Reid, kid, you okay?" Rossi checked, glancing over to Reid's arm with concern. The sleeve was rapidly turning red.

"Yeah," Reid replied. He hissed as a he moved his arm. "My arm got hit, but otherwise I'm fine. Thanks to Morgan."

Morgan was already on the phone calling an ambulance and backup. Then he too went over to Reid and looked him over.

"Guys, seriously. I'm fine. It's just my arm. I'll be okay. It didn't even hit that much. The bullet just grazed it." Reid tried to reassure his worried team.

"I'm calling Garcia." Prentiss proclaimed, taking out her phone. Reid sighed. They always babied him. It got tiring.

The ambulance arrived and they quickly loaded Reid inside. Once at the hospital, Reid waited as he was poked, prodded, scanned, and looked at. When at last the doctor decided all that was wrong was the graze, he bandaged it and left.

"The doctor wants you to stay for a while. Just a few hours to be certain you're fine." A young nurse was saying. Reid shook his head stubbornly.

"I'll be fine." He insisted. Garcia rolled her eyes and exchanged looks with Prentiss that clearly said 'Knew he'd act this way'.

"He'll stay." Hotch reassured the nurse.

"Hotch!" Reid protested. Hotch silenced him with a look.

"We just want to be sure you're fine." Hotch tried to comfort his youngest member. He could tell that Reid hated this.

A loud wail alerted the team that Henry—who was resting in, surprisingly, Rossi's arms—had woken.

"Alright, Reid." Hotch grinned slightly. "Why is he crying? What does he want?"

"What?" Reid asked, startled.

"Well, hypothetically, you'll have to figure out what each cry means." Hotch explained. Reid groaned. He wanted to object, but knew his team wouldn't let him if he tried.

"Um…he's hungry?" Reid guessed haphazardly. Hotch rolled his eyes.

"Reid, try to be serious with this." He ordered.

"Alright, alright." Reid grumbled. "Um…he's…wet? Maybe he needs to be changed?"

"No." Hotch replied.

"How would you know?" Reid snapped, frustrated. "Not your kid!"

"I'm a father. Been a father for a while. Trust me; I learned to recognize the different cries. Haley made me."

Reid nodded and concentrated. Really concentrated. He had been around Henry plenty of times before, which cry did this sound like the most? Idly, Reid thought this was a lot like profiling.

"Alright." Reid finally decided. "He's hungry. I'm sure."

"Very good, Reid." Hotch congratulated. The rest of the team laughed at the exchange.

Garcia pulled out a bottle and gave it to Rossi, who gave it to Henry, who quieted quickly.

For a whole minute.

Henry spit the bottle out of his mouth and started crying again.

"Hungry, huh?" Reid asked, eyeing his boss skeptically.

"Hey!" Hotch defended himself. "It's been a few years since Jack was a baby!"

Reid rolled his eyes and sighed. "So Mr. I-Was-A-Parent-And-Am-A-Pro-At-This, why is he crying?"

Hotch glared lightly at Reid before answering, "I don't know. Why has he been crying lately?"

"Separation anxiety." Prentiss answered immediately.

"To who would that be?" Morgan asked, a grin forming on his face.

"Why, I believe it would be our Reid here." Garcia answered, an identical grin on her face.

Wordlessly, Rossi handed Henry to Reid and Henry's wails turned to soft coos.

"Look, Henry," Reid said nervously. "I love you too and all that, but you've gotta let someone else do the holding. I can't keep doing this…" the last part was meant more for his team than Henry.

"Reid, don't worry. We'll be there to help you. You don't have to make a decision now. But when you do decide, just remember we'll be here to help." Prentiss reassured while the rest of the team nodded firmly.

"Thanks, guys."

Just then Henry started crying again.

"What now?" Reid groaned. His team laughed.

* * *

**As you can see, I have tried to put in a bit of humor here and there to make this a little less depressing. I know also that some of you might be thinking: Shouldn't he be missing his mom and dad? **

**I agree. I'm working on that for either this next chapter or the one after it, but no Henry didn't forget about his parents. He's just used to spending time away from them for the entire day (keep in mind it has only been a day) so we'll deal with that soon. **

**One other thing. I've decided that if there are some really dedicated reviewers that have reviewed nearly ever chapter when it comes out, they will get a bit of a special treat in the future. I'm not saying what, but just thought I'd let you all know about that.**

**Please review!**

**Eminnis**


	6. Crying For Mommy

**I'm back! So I have a question. I plan on getting Austin in here at some point or another. It's for a relationship between her and Reid. Don't worry, the story will still be mostly about Reid and Henry, but just a bit of undlying relationship.**

**I'd like to know how you all want her introduced. Do you want them to have been secretly dating? Or do you want them to run into each other at some place and start a relationship? There's a poll up on my profile. Please vote there. You have until next Friday to vote. Thanks!**

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**Chapter Six: Crying For Mommy**

At last Reid was allowed to leave the hospital. He and the team headed back over to JJ's house to get Henry's things since he obviously wasn't going to be able to stay there tonight.

"So who's he going with?" Morgan asked.

"Well, Reid of course!" Garcia exclaimed.

Reid sighed. He had expected this, but it still didn't mean he was prepared to house an 18 month old baby.

"Something wrong Reid?" Prentiss asked.

"It's just…I'm not equipped to take care of Henry at my apartment…"

"Well that's why we're getting his things." Garcia smirked a bit.

Reid just rolled his eyes and followed his team to Henry's room. Henry himself was being carried by Garcia.

As soon as they entered Henry's room, Morgan, Rossi, and Hotch started to take apart the crib. Reid went around the room searching for items Henry would need and Prentiss raided JJ's pantry for baby food and applesauce.

Ten minutes later, Henry's bags were packed, his crib was in the car, and the team was waiting impatiently for Reid.

"Where did he say he was going?" Rossi asked.

"Um…he said something about needing Henry's 'Fluffy'…" Prentiss replied.

"Fluffy?" Morgan inquired, an eyebrow raised.

"Fluffy, Fluffy, Fluffy!" Henry suddenly yelled.

"Oh, now look what you've done!" Garcia scolded.

Henry continued to wail loudly for the next five minutes.

"That's it!" Morgan cried. "I'm going in to find him if he doesn't show up in five seconds!"

"Gosh, Morgan, no need to get violent." A voice replied irritably.

"Reid! Thank goodness! Please tell me you have Henry's 'Fluffy'." Hotch exclaimed. Even the unit chief was getting fed up with Henry's wails.

"Yeah, it's right here." Reid handed Henry a medium sized blue bear as he spoke. The bear had a dark blue for a nose, small thread claws on its paws, and a blue ribbon around its neck. Henry grabbed it eagerly and hugged it tight.

"That better, Buddy?" Reid cooed softly. Henry nodded and stretched out an arm toward Reid. Reid took Henry from Garcia and held him close.

"Alright, let's head over to my apartment."

**~ShelterAndProtect~**

The ride to Reid's apartment was uneventful. Henry was dozing, his resting against Reid's shoulder. Reid stepped out of the car and grabbed Henry's two bags with one hand and headed up the steps. The guys grabbed the crib and Garcia helped Prentiss take in the food.

Reid unlocked his apartment and stepped inside, throwing his keys onto the counter. He shifted Henry and set his bags on the sofa. He turned to his team as they entered.

"Where do you want the crib?"

"The bedroom for now I guess. I kinda want to be close to him…" Reid trailed off. Morgan nodded in understanding and walked to Reid's room with Hotch and Rossi on his heels.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Garcia and Prentiss were trying to figure out where to put the food.

"Reid? Do you have a pantry or anything?" Garcia called.

"Yeah, it's behind the largest doors next to the refrigerator!" Reid yelled back. Henry woke up at this and gave a small cry.

Henry started at Reid for a moment, and then looked around in surprise.

"Hey, Henry, you're gonna be staying with me for now. Okay?" Reid went to the sofa and sat down.

Henry nodded and Reid was taken by surprise as tears started to form in Henry's eyes.

"Momma…" Henry whimpered pitifully, grabbing Reid's shirt in his hands and burying his face in Reid's chest. Reid choked back a sob at the action. Henry always did that to JJ whenever he was upset.

"Momma can't come right now." Reid said thickly.

"Daddy?" Henry looked up at Reid with big eyes.

Reid swallowed and shook his head. "Not Daddy either…"

"Momma…Momma!" Henry cried.

Reid held Henry to him as Henry's desperate pleas became louder and louder. Soon he had the whole team running to them.

The team took only a few minutes to assess what was going on. They quickly pieced together what had happened and the guys silently turned and left to continue working on the crib. They knew the best thing for Henry right now was to not be fussed over. He only needed one person to comfort him, not five or six.

Prentiss seemed to realize that too and as much as it pained her to, she took Garcia's arm and tugged gently.

"No, I have to stay here." Garcia refused.

"Henry doesn't need to be overwhelmed right now, Reid's got him." Prentiss tried to comfort her. Garcia looked reluctant, but none the less walked away with Prentiss.

"Momma…" Henry's cries were becoming softer and sounded more…resigned. As if he knew that momma wasn't coming.

"Daddy…Momma…" Henry finally stopped calling out for his parents and just started to cry. The cries were desperate, pleading.

Reid could feel his heart being shredded. He hated knowing Henry was hurting and he couldn't do a thing about it.

"Shhh…Momma...Momma's looking out for you, Henry. She and Daddy are watching over you right now. They…they're just not here physically. It'll be alright Henry…shhh." Reid tried to soothe the youngster.

"Momma…" Henry gave one last despairing plea before slipping into a slumber, his hands still clenched around Reid's shirt.

Reid rocked Henry back and forth, shushing him softly. The team entered just as Henry fell asleep.

"Oh my sweet one…" Garcia murmured, tears running down her face. Prentiss looked just as pained. Hotch, Rossi, and Morgan kept their heads lowered.

Reid swallowed and took a deep breath.

"Thanks for the help guys. We'll be fine now." He told them.

"Call us if you need anything, Reid. Promise." Morgan demanded.

"Alright, I will." Reid agreed, nodding.

The team filed out of the apartment and Reid locked the door behind them. It was around midnight by now. There was no rush to go to bed though; now that the case was finished Strauss had let them have the next couple days off.

Reid sighed as he looked around the apartment. He picked Henry up and took him to his new room. Reid laid Henry down in his crib and left to find get Henry's things. Reid unzipped the bags and found the blanket he had packed. He took it out and covered Henry gently with it. Reid grabbed Fluffy and laid him next to Henry's head.

"Good night, Henry." Reid whispered to the young boy.

Reid double checked the doors and windows were locked before crawling into bed. He wasn't going to take any chances. Even if they had caught the Harmans, that didn't mean there weren't other families who had grudges against JJ and would harm her son if they could. No, Reid had already lost JJ; he wasn't going to lose his godson as well.

He couldn't.

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**Hope you all liked, please review!**

**Eminnis**


	7. Author's Note! EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!

**Oh my gosh everyone. I am so sorry! My computer got a huge virus, and I have no idea of all my stuff will still be alive after everything. I do know that I probably won't be able to be on my computer writing for about a week. I might have some items saved, and anything I do I promise I will update. The virus I have has completely shut down my computer. We tried running a scan and it shut down after a few seconds. In other words I'm sunk. I'll do my best.**

**Eminnis**


	8. Author's Note UPDATE ABOUT UPDATES READ!

**Alright everyone, good news and bad news! **

**Good News: I have got a computer. Had to get a new one.**

**Bad News: Some stories will be updated, some not.**

**If your story is in the following list, feel free to dance around and rejoice! LOL.**

Love Lost

The Prank War of the BAU

Shelter and Protect

To Be A Mother

**Those I am 99% sure will be updated within a week. Very soon for sure. If the story you read is not on this list, that means that sadly, I have zero inspiration for that story. I'd love some reviews of ideas. Hope to see you all within a week! Just now uploaded all my stuff again!**

**Eminnis**


	9. Meeting Mrs Jareau

**So I was looking on the internet and I realized something. Henry's too old to really be completely on baby foods. He should be about moved on to solid foods. I've come up with a reason for that in this chapter, and I'm going to do my best to keep the rest of my information accurate. Hope you like the chapter!**

**Also, extremely sorry for the long wait. And for the delay. Went camping and no internet or cell service. LOL. Hope this makes up for it.**

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**Chapter Seven: Meeting Mrs. Jareau**

Reid woke late the next morning. He groaned and looked over at the clock. It was 9 in the morning…why wasn't he being called a billion times to get to work?

Then it all came back to him. Yesterday—had it really only been yesterday?—at JJ's house. Finding her and Will dead. The investigation, getting shot, capturing the UnSubs.

Reid blinked back tears as more memories came. Memories of them in the bullpen, laughing together. Of times when he shot off rockets and she left him to deal with an angry Hotch. The times when she was there for him to lean on during the bad days. The times when she was there for him to hang with on the good days.

When. She. Was. There.

Reid's few tears were quickly turning into sobs. Harsh sobs that shook his thin frame violently.

One of his best friends was dead, and he was left with her child. That is, if he even decided to take Henry.

Henry…

The thought of the boy jolted Reid to his feet. He went quickly to the crib at the end of his bed. He gazed down at the small child.

"Hey, Henry." Reid whispered. His voice was hoarse from all the crying.

Henry blinked back up at him. Reid smiled and took Henry out of his crib. He walked into the living room and set him down on the sofa.

"I'll be right back Henry."

Henry cooed and smiled. Reid smiled back and quickly left the room. He went to the pantry and grabbed the first baby food jar he found.

He came back to Henry and sat down next to him. He took the spoon to feed Henry but Henry turned his head away.

"Come on, Henry. Please."

Henry shook his head and turned away. Reid sighed. Why wouldn't he eat?

A faint memory quickly provided the solution.

_**Flashback **_

_JJ sighed. _

"_He's becoming difficult, Reid. He's tired of the baby food. All he'll really willingly eat is applesauce." She complained._

_Reid laughed._

"_Statistically babies move on from baby food around 8 to 10 months. He's right around that age."_

"_He's 16 months."_

"_Okay, so he's a little farther than usual. I'm sure it'll be fine."_

"_I hope you're right" JJ paused for a moment then continued. "So what in the world do I feed him?"_

"_Well…you could try some baby cereal. I've heard that works. After that try pureed vegetables and maybe pureed meats. Try fruits too." _

"_Alright…thanks Reid."_

_**End Flashback**_

Reid had no clue how he forgot. The food in the pantry had just been leftover. So what did Henry eat then? Applesauce worked…but he needed more than just that. That had been several months ago, by now he could probably get some chopped apple down. Or maybe some of the ground beef he had in the fridge.

Reid got up and quickly heated the meat and chopped a quarter of the apple. He put it all on a plate and returned to Henry's side. Henry smiled, looking much more pleased. He ate almost all the apple and most of the meat.

Reid realized guiltily that he had barely had anything to eat yesterday. The poor kid must be starving.

Reid was putting the dishes in the kitchen sink when the phone rang.

"Reid." He greeted.

"Hey Reid."

"Hi Morgan."

"Listen, JJ's mom is here at the station."

"What are you doing at the station?"

Morgan snorted.

"Hotch came in to do something and she showed up. He called the rest of us. He left you to sleep 'cause he knew you'd be busy with Henry. it was only an hour or so ago."

Reid nodded, and then remembered Morgan couldn't see that.

"So what's going on with her?"

There was silence.

"Morgan?" Reid asked, wary now.

"She wants to see Henry. Then she wants to take him straight down to the courthouse to see the will. She's positive she'll be appointed guardian. We didn't tell her anything of course, but something tells me she's not going to react well to this. She was glad that you had taken Henry home, though I doubt that'll last for long…"

Reid went quiet.

"So what now?" he finally asked.

"Bring Henry down here. And though I know it's rushed, I would advise you try to make a decision by the time you get here. I'm sorry, but I think Mrs. Jareau is going to insist on keeping Henry with her if it's not already clear where he goes."

Reid sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I can't decide this right now Morgan! I'm not sure! I mean I'm pretty sure but…" Reid sighed again.

"I'll be down in half an hour. No guarantees on decisions, but I'll try. You all packed the car seat last night, right?" Reid questioned.

"Yeah we did. See you in a bit Kid."

"See ya."

Reid hung up and heaved another sigh. He knew that he wanted to take Henry in, he really did. He just wasn't sure if he was ready…well, he'd think about that later.

Reid quickly picked Henry up and placed him in his crib.

"Sorry buddy, but until we can get your playpen you'll have to stay here."

Henry looked irritated and Reid smiled gently.

"I'll be back in 15 minutes. Promise."

Reid quickly showered, dressed, and ate. He grabbed Henry from the crib and went out to the car. He put the car seat in the back and buckled Henry in. Reid dashed inside and grabbed the diaper bag then locked up and went to the car. He got in and started toward the FBI building.

As he drove he thought. He still had no clue as to what he was going to do about the will. He knew what the team and JJ wanted, but he needed himself to be sure.

He wanted to keep Henry, but the fears of him suddenly turning schizophrenic like his mother worried him. It was a possibility, and he didn't want Henry to go through losing a father like that. Then there was the chance he couldn't handle it anyway and he would just leave like his dad. He didn't want that to happen either…

_Now think logically,_ Reid chided himself. _There's a chance of becoming schizophrenic, but it's not that huge. And would you really be like your father? No, you wouldn't. You know you want to keep the kid, so do it. _

_But what about my job?_ Another part of him argued back. _I can't be going out all the time!_

_Hotch does. He just gets a babysitter. Hotch knew it was best for Jack to stay with him, even if he was away at times. You know Henry would be happier with you. He barely knows his grandmother, JJ's told you that much. _

_Still…I'd hate leaving him with a sitter all the time._

_You know you're brain is more useful anyway, so if you need to take a couple days off just staying home and helping from there, then do so. _

Reid sighed. He felt the urge to bang his head against the steering wheel but stopped himself. All too soon he was pulling into a parking space and taking Henry out of the car. He grabbed the diaper bag along with his own and quickly entered the building.

When he arrived at the bullpen, he was greeted by the sad, worried, and nervous faces of his teammates. A blond woman who looked to be in her 60s stood a little ways off.

_Must be Mrs. Jareau,_ Reid thought to himself.

"Reid, glad you're here. How's the—ah—decision going." Morgan asked in low tones. Reid gave a small nod.

"I'll do my best." He mumbled. Morgan nodded, a grin forming on his face.

"Mrs. Jareau!" Morgan called. The blond woman quickly turned around and headed over.

"Oh, Henry!" she cried, quickly taking the boy from Reid. Henry cried in protest.

"No, no, baby. It's me, it's grandma, remember?" Mrs. Jareau cooed for a few minutes over Henry before turning to Reid.

"You must be Agent Reid. Thank you for taking care of him, JJ always spoke well of you." Mrs. Jareau said sadly. Reid nodded and turned to Hotch, who had come over when he saw Reid arrive.

"Ready to head to the courthouse, Mrs. Jareau? If you don't mind, my team will be coming with me. We want to give you as much support as possible." Hotch lied.

Reid had to hide a slight smirk. Mrs. Jareau was actually buying that? It was plausible, but still…

"Of course I don't mind, Agent Hotchner. I'm ready, let's head down."

The team, Mrs. Jareau, and Henry all quickly piled in to a couple of cars. The drive to the courthouse took less than ten minutes. Mrs. Jareau got out, held Henry close to her, and walked in. The team waited outside.

"So how do you think she'll take the news?" Prentiss asked.

"My guess is not well." Morgan replied.

"It's kind of sad." Prentiss remarked. "I mean she loves Henry a lot, this is going to be hard on her."

The others nodded in agreement and watched the doors in anticipation. After about 15 minutes, Mrs. Jareau stepped out.

"Agents, I think you should come with me." She said. Reid noticed a distinct edge to her voice, and when she thought he wasn't looking, she was glaring at him. Reid winced internally but followed his team into the courthouse.

When all were gathered in a small room, a woman with dark hair and mocha skin entered.

"Hello. I assume you are Agents Hotchner, Rossi, Morgan, Prentiss, Reid, and Garcia?" she asked.

They nodded.

"Right then. My name is Malinda, and I have a few things to go over with you."

Malinda then launched into the description of the will. She told everyone what they received, except for Reid. She waited until the end of her explanations to inform him what he'd received.

"Agent Reid, you have received official custody of the child Henry LaMontagne. You have the option to refuse. We will need your decision by tomorrow at 12 o'clock PM."

"Can Henry stay with me until the decision is made?" Mrs. Jareau put in.

"Yes, that would be fine ma'am."

Malinda nodded to them and left.

"We should be getting home, Henry and I." Mrs. Jareau said after a moment of silence. She turned and looked Reid in the eyes.

"He needs to be with family. Not some colleague of JJ's. Family, that's what he needs. You know that Agent Reid, let me take him with me permanently."

Reid said nothing, just stared evenly back at her.

Mrs. Jareau nodded to the team and started to leave, but Henry started to cry loudly.

"Weed! Weed! Gramma, no! I don't wanna! I wanna stay with Weed!"

Reid, unable to stand hearing Henry cry like this, stepped forward quickly.

"Give him to me." Reid's tone was polite, but the order was not missed by anyone in the room. The team looked surprised at Reid's boldness, and Mrs. Jareau looked shocked, then she narrowed her eyes.

"No. He needs to get used to being with me. I'll be keeping him, after all."

Reid clenched his teeth. Henry's pleas hadn't been soothed and he was still wailing loudly. The cries infuriated him. Couldn't any one see Henry was upset and didn't want this?

"Give. Him. To. Me." Reid repeated.

"I told you. No. He has to get used to this, Agent Reid."

"No," Reid contradicted. "He doesn't. I'll be taking him, Mrs. Jareau. By law with my decision I have the right as his guardian to take him from you. Give him to me."

Mrs. Jareau's eyes sparked anger. "We'll see about that."

"Hotch, would you please get Malinda in here?" Reid requested. He seemed calm but truly he was just barely controlling his rage. The woman still had done nothing to soothe Henry!

Hotch left quickly and returned moments later with Malinda.

"What's the problem here?"

"He," Mrs. Jareau pointed at Reid. "Is trying to take my grandson away from me."

Malinda frowned.

"Sir, you can't do that. She is his grandmother—"

Reid cut her off. "But I am his guardian. I'm pretty sure guardian holds more authority than grandmother. I am saying, Malinda, that I am accepting Henry LaMontagne as my son. I will be his parent and guardian."

Reid turned to Malinda and she nodded. He turned back to Mrs. Jareau, who had a look of rage on her face.

"Mrs. Jareau. Give me my son. Now."

'Give me my son.' The words felt foreign to Reid. In truth he was only using the words to make it clear he was to take Henry home.

"No!" Mrs. Jareau shouted. "I'm his grandmother, he belongs with me! Not some stranger who just doesn't want to let go of the friend he loved!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Reid saw his teammates shifting slightly, their hands wandering to their guns.

"Ma'am, I know you are his grandmother, but Agent Reid is the parent and guardian of Henry. You have to give Henry to him." Malinda tried to reason with the woman.

"No! He won't care for him! You have to change this!"

That was the final straw for Reid.

"Mrs. Jareau. I understand you are upset. I understand you want to take Henry with you. But that gives you no right to accuse me of not caring about him. I care deeply for Henry, I do not want him just so I can keep a tie to your daughter. If you're upset, take it up in court. I don't care. Just _**give Henry to me.**_" Reid practically snarled the last part.

Mrs. Jareau glared at Reid.

"Ma'am." Hotch cut in. "By rights Henry now belongs to Agent Reid. If you continue to refuse we will have you arrested for kidnapping. It has been established that Agent Reid is Henry's guardian. Give Henry to him before my team and I have to do something we'll all regret in the end."

Mrs. Jareau still seemed reluctant.

"Look, Mrs. Jareau." Hotch started again, softening his voice this time. "I don't want to take Henry's grandmother away from him, but if you continue like this I'll have no choice. As Agent Reid said, if you're upset, take it up in court. Not here. Just give Henry to Agent Reid."

Mrs. Jareau glared coldly at Hotch and the team. She walked over to Reid and practically dropped Henry. Reid had to swoop to make sure he was secure. There were several exclamations of outrage at this action.

"That was uncalled for." Reid snarled, holding the wailing child close. Mrs. Jareau glared.

"I'll see you in court."

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**So please let me know what you think! Was it too much of an exaggeration on Mrs. Jareau's part? Was Reid too protective? Let me know in a review please!**

**Eminnis**


	10. We Meet Again

**At last here we are! Another chapter! Hope you like, less angsty for once. Enjoy and Merry X-Mas!****

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******

Chapter Eight: We Meet Again

**3****rd**** Person POV**

After Mrs. Jareau left, Reid sat down with Henry clutching tightly to his shirt.

"I can't believe she did that, Reid." Garcia stated, looking thoroughly ticked off.

"That wasn't right. Reid, you should ask the courts for a restraining order." Prentiss bit out.

"No, Prentiss, think. Is that going to help Henry any? No. Besides that, I don't really have a legitimate reason for that." Reid disagreed.

"Of course you do!"

"Prentiss, no."

Prentiss sighed but nodded.

"Well I guess I should go pick up some food for Henry. I'll see you all later." Reid got up to leave.

"Reid let us come with you!" Garcia exclaimed.

"Actually, I think I'd rather go by myself if that's okay?"

Though the words sounded like a question, Reid's tone said otherwise.

The girls nodded and Reid left with Henry in his arms.

Reid walked out to his car and buckled Henry in. He got into the driver's seat and started up the car. He sighed and leaned his head against the steering wheel. Reid stayed there for a moment before he raised his head, put the car in gear, and drove out of the parking lot.

Reid drove to the nearest grocery store and got out. He got a cart and set Henry in the child's seat part. Henry started to babble as Reid entered the store.

"Weed, I got bug!" Henry tugged at his godfather's wrist.

"That's cool Henry, please be quiet so I can get you some food." Reid replied, shaking Henry off his wrist gently. Henry went back to babbling nonsense.

Reid sighed and turned back to trying to find baby food when a voice made him freeze.

"Agent Reid? Is that you?"

Reid turned around to see a dark haired woman looking at him incredulously.

"Austin? What are you doing here?" Reid asked, disbelief coloring his tone.

"I'm here because of a new job. You inspired me to make something of my life Agent, I'm a nurse now. I'm working on becoming a doctor."

"That's great!" Reid congratulated.

"Thanks! So when did you get married and have kids? It'd have had to be really recent, it's only been a couple years."

"Oh, I'm not married." Reid held up his left hand and smiled.

"Really? Where'd you get the baby then?" Austin asked, frowning.

"My colleague, she died yesterday. She was murdered. I was asked to take her child and agreed." Reid fought the tears that welled in his eyes when he thought of JJ.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry Agent Reid."

"Thank you, and please it's just Reid."

Austin nodded.

"So you're caring for-"

"Henry. His name is Henry. He's eighteen months old." Reid provided. Austin smiled and nodded.

"Okay. So you're taking care of Henry on your own now?" Austin inquired.

"Sort of. Garcia and Prentiss are trying to help out. I'm trying to find some baby food that's partially solid for Henry, and frankly I'm lost." Reid blushed lightly as he spoke.

"Well I can give you a hand. I babysit all the time. Partial solid? Like chopped apple slices?"

Reid nodded. Austin smiled and reached out past Reid. She grabbed a few select bottles and dropped them in Reid's basket. Reid blushed and tried to ignore the fluttery feeling he got in his stomach when Austin's hand brushed his. If Morgan found out about that feeling Reid would never live it down.

"Um I hate to ask but…I've got some other stuff I need to find and I'm kind of lost."

Austin laughed.

"I'll give you a hand."

Reid spent the rest of the morning getting things like diapers and a few toys for Reid's apartment until he got a house.

Reid wondered how he was going to be able to support Henry and his mother and himself. It wouldn't be easy, but with a lot of hard work and maybe an extra job…but then he'd leave Henry alone all the time. He could get a sitter but then he'd have to make sure he got a really good second job. And he had to be open to leaving at any time.

Reid heaved a sigh, accidently interrupting something Austin was saying.

"What is it?" Austin asked.

"Oh, nothing, please continue. Your cousin had his tongue stuck to a pole?"

"Yes. What's wrong Reid?"

Reid sighed again and put a hand to his forehead.

"I just have no idea how I'm going to be able to support Henry."

"Shouldn't you all ready have a good job though? That should be enough right?"

"It would be but…my mother is schizophrenic and half my pay check goes to her. The other half supports me. I'll have to get another job and a sitter and…it's really complicated."

Austin frowned.

"Maybe you could get some help from your team?"

"I'm sure they'll insist on it but I'd hate to take their money."

"They're your friends, practically family, they won't take 'no' for an answer you know."

"I know. But still…"

Austin nodded in understanding. The two were quiet for a moment as they walked to the check-out line.

"You know," Austin started as the checker scanned Reid's items. "I copied that card of yours you gave me. I don't know why but I did. I still have your number."

"Really? Well," Reid took a breath and summoned his courage. "Maybe you could give me your number so I could call you some time?"

Austin grinned and nodded. She handed Reid a card with her number written on it at the bottom.

"Maybe I'll see you sometime soon Reid."

"Yeah."

By this time the checker had finished with Reid's items. Reid paid and carried the items to his car with some help from Austin.

"Thanks for the help Austin. I guess I'll see you later." Reid smiled shyly at Austin. Austin returned the shy smile and they departed. Reid gazed down at Henry.

"Roller coaster of emotions." He remarked. "I mean I was depressed, still am, then I was angry, then I was protective, then parental, and now I think I like her. What do you think Henry, should I ask her out or wait a while?"

Henry gurgled.

"Wait a while? Okay, but not too long. Don't want her thinking I'm not interested. But Henry, not a word of this to Morgan or Garcia. Okay?"

Henry smiled up at Reid.

Reid buckled Henry in and drove home, thoughts centered on what he would do next.

* * *

**So I hope that makes you Reid/Austin fans happy. We're finally getting somewhere. No, I'm not going to make it so Reid and Austin fall in love instantly and skip off into the sunset (that'd just be weird). There's still gonna be angst and major Herny love. That should please you all.**

**Also, I just rechecked my poll a second ago. I hadn't realized the tie had been broken. Actually I forgot that poll was still open. Sorry for those of you that wanted the secret dating thing. This is just how it's going to go now. Hope you still like it.**

** Let me know what you think and Happy Holidays!**

**Eminnis**


	11. Author's Note hopefully the last

Hi all! Yeah, I'm posting more author's notes than story..blech. I hate it. But I've just hit a total writer's block the past several months. I'm just now starting to get back into some of my stories. I honestly think I am this time.

But the big question is: Should I continue?

I know it's been ages. So is anyone even interested? Please PM me or review or something to let me know.

Thanks,

Eminnis


	12. The Next Step

**THANK YOU FOR ALL THE ENCOURAGING REVIEWS!**

**It helped greatly. I managed to get this chapter out and I think I'm finally going to be able to set up the story a bit more. This sets up for a scene anyway. The next two chapters will probably be fairly mellow, maybe some interactions with Reid and the team and Reid and Austin. Then we start running into road blocks.**

**Enjoy though!**

* * *

**Chapter Nine: The Next Step **

Rossi and Hotch retrieved Henry's playpen after Reid left. They dropped it off at Reid's house, leaving a note demanding that Reid call to let them know he and Henry were okay when he got home.

Reid smiled when he saw the playpen and note attached. He quickly pulled out his cell phone and dialed Prentiss's number.

"Reid? How are you? How's Henry? Are you okay? Did Mrs. Jareau come near you? Please tell me you're armed!"

"Relax Prentiss. I'm fine. Henry's fine. Mrs. Jareau hasn't come near me and I'm not going to shoot her if she does. But I am armed in case anything else happens. You can tell Rossi and Hotch to stop worrying now."

"Good. You need one of us to come over?"

"No I'm good. Got enough groceries to last quite a while. And I have some stuff for Henry too. I'll talk to you later Prentiss."

"Alright Reid. But we're only a phone call away."

"Thanks."

Reid hung up and then opened the door to his apartment. He tugged the playpen inside it and set it up in the small living room area. He set Henry down in it with some of the new and old toys.

"Be good, okay?"

Henry gazed up at him.

"Momma…"

Reid winced.

"Please Henry, not again. I have a lot of stuff to do. I have things to get in order. I know you want your mom and dad but…oh Henry."

Henry sniffed and looked up at Reid with watery eyes. Reid sighed and picked the child up, holding him against his chest.

"Shh…you're okay. You're alright Henry. Shh…"

"Momma. Want momma."

"I know. I know you do. You'll understand someday…when you're older. For now please don't cry. Shh…"

Reid continued to hold the boy in his arms until he finally felt Henry relax, his tiny fingers loosening their death grip.

"Shh…we'll be okay."

Reid set the child down in the playpen and turned with a sigh. He was just starting to make dinner when the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Is this Mr. Spencer Reid?"

"This is he."

"My name is Cheryl Thompson. I'm calling to inform you of a meeting concerning Henry LaMontagne two weeks from today on Wednesday, March 27th at the courthouse. No charges are being pressed currently. A woman, Mrs. Jareau, asked to press charges but as I understand it you have officially become the guardian of the child in question?"

"Yes. He was left to go to me in the mother's will."

"Then this should be resolved easily. You will keep the child up until then as the caretaker. Bring the child to the meeting. You shouldn't have to worry about anything Mr. Reid."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome and I'm sorry for your loss of the mother."

The line went dead and Reid sighed heavily. He understood Mrs. Jareau's actions. Had the situation been reversed Reid would have fought just as hard to get Henry. He did wish it didn't have to come to this though.

Hours later Reid had eaten, filled out paperwork, called the team to let them know of the meeting, cleaned up the house somewhat, fed Henry dinner, and he was now getting Henry ready for bed.

"Henry, stop splashing me!" Reid commanded sternly.

The child giggled in response. The sleep had improved Henry's mood greatly. He'd forgotten about the fact his mother wasn't here…for now.

Reid rolled his eyes at Henry's antics. He finished washing Henry and took him out of the tub. The babe shivered and made a small sound.

Reid quickly dried Henry off and dressed him in some pajamas. He put him in his crib and checked that the doors and windows were locked. He smiled at Henry once more before going to bed himself.

Things would work out…they had to.

* * *

**So I'm not sure if I made Prentiss too OOC there...well the whole thing's an AU so...**

**Anyway. Hope you enjoyed! Let me know please!**

**Eminnis**


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